2005 National Reunion of Adopted Romanian Children    Dr. Sharon Cermak holds an EdD, MS, and BS in Occupational Therapy. She is a board member of several hospitals and clinics in the Boston, MA area as well as a Professor of Occupatioal Therapy for Boston University and Sargent College. Dr. Cermak has made many trips to Romania between 1992 and the present to set up training for orphanage care-givers, and work with the children in the orphangaes to help them with Sensory Integration Issues. Simona Stewart founded the House of Angels in 2000 in Dambovita County, Romania, as an Emergency Shelter for abandoned children from birth to three years of age. The orphanage is under the care and operation of Cara Bella International, a Romanian non-profit foundation in conjunction with its sister company Cara Bella Inc., a 501(c)(3) charity in Atlanta, Georgia. They are actively lobbying with the governments of Romania and the USA for the rights of children with no voice as Romania prepares to enter the European Union in 2007. Dr. Boris Gindis is a child psychologist who has been working with FRUA families from the beginning of the adoptions from Russia. Dr. Gindis received his Doctorate in Developmental Psychology at the Moscow Academic Research Institute of General and Educational Psychology in 1976. While in graduate school, he participated in research in orphanages in Moscow, Moscow Province, and Sakhalin Province. he completed his post-doctoral training and an internship in School Psychology at the City University of New York from 1982 to 1984. He is a licensed psychologist in the State of New York since 1990 and a certified bilingual (Russian/English) school psychologist since 1984. DR. Gindis is the founder and director of the Center for Cognitive-Developmental Assessment, Rehabilitation, and Training located in Suffern, NY. The center provides psychological and educational services for children and is associated with a network of Russian-speaking mental health and education specialists to whom a child may be referred if the need arises. Dr Gindis' Seminar will be school-based and home-based remediation: cognitive, academic, and language-wise. The title of the workshop is: "Educational issues and remediation of children adopted from overseas orphanages" The content includes: 1. An outline of major academic, social, language, and cognitive issues in school-age children adopted from overseas 2. Strategies for remediation of children at school: Evaluation, including Independent Educational Evaluation; Placement; Supportive services. 3. Outside remedial/support programs funded by the school district; Home-based remediation: SmartStart methodology, Cognitive education and remediation; and a brief review of Lindamood, FasForward, and Wilson Reading programs. Mr. Izidor Ruckel is back by popular demand. He is a young Romanian adoptee whose life has been chronicled by ABC's "20/20" news program. His return to Romania was filmed and televised in Spring 2001. Since then, Mr. Ruckel has returned to the US and has taken many positive steps forward. Find out about his reconciliation with his adoptive family, his struggle to hold down two jobs while attending college, and his desire to help those children left behind. He is the author of the book, "Abandoned For Life: The Incredible Story of One Romanian Orphan Hidden From The World. His Life. His Words" Adoptive parents Linda Robak & Belinda Castor to talk about what's happening today, as far as the fight to re-open adoptions and what's going on with the kids still in the system. Carol Gerhinger to teach parents about lifebooks. Felix Vlad will be with us again, to teach more dancing to the Kids and will have Romanian wine available for sale. Keith and DeDe Van Zandt will again chair a roundtable discussion for all interested parents. The Romanian Tourism Office will attend and offer a presentatin on major tourist areas and atttractions.